Turning out at a county show without spending a fortune?

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mulledwhine

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Is it possible?

Minis riding instructor is trying to persuade us to show pony at the county show!!!!

I am excited by the prospect , but all the ponies I have seen have had endless amount of money thrown at them !!!!

We don't have an endless cheque book, is it possible to show him in his every day tack ? Me what to wear ( please don't say matchy matchy :( ) mini is sorted, I can't afford to buy any thing new , is clean and well turned out acceptable , or is it really a fashion show ?
 
Go to a charity shop & get the little extra bits for yourself from there.
Remember that overall impression counts, initially viewed at 50+yds so picture needs to be okay if you are going all out for it.

That said, how about offering a glam friend (who knows one end of a pony from another) the end of the leadrope? In return for a lunch out at the show? Or even bully instructor to do it! ;)
 
Fair degree of fashion show and often I think over the top. Don't let that put you off but go as FF says for the overall picture looking good and then on close up inspection clean and tidy. All the make up and smart clothes means nothing if the pony doesn't behave. Would say go for it, enjoy the experience, don't stress and have a good day out.
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
That said, how about offering a glam friend (who knows one end of a pony from another) the end of the leadrope? In return for a lunch out at the show? Or even bully instructor to do it! ;)
Click to expand...

Agree with this, we were regularly led by other people at BSPS shows (due to two of us being in the same class!). If instructor wants to go for it then I guess she will have a fair idea of turnout etc, so let her take charge.
 
Who says I am not glam ? ;) x

I have tried that , winning is not important ( would be nice though )

Sadly she is also showing her horses that day :(

Normally it would not bother me but there a many eye watching us :(

Thank you for all your replies so far xxx
 
What class are you doing? and what do you need to complete the turnout, if doing lead rein you really do need to match as best you can but there are ways of getting the right look without spending a fortune if you start early enough, which you are, make a list of what you have that is correct, then what you must have and start searching ebay, charity shops, borrow from other people etc.
 
It's easier to turn out handler for RP or SHP on a budget than M&M as most mums and kiddies tend to have matchy matchy tweeds.
Having said that a lot depends on what your local County Show is and whether it has any decent qualifiers.
You could definitely do it on a budget though. Second hand gear is your best bet. Have a look on Horse Gossip for good quality used show wear, you will get your money back when finished with it too.
If you want to budget really tight you could trawl your local charity shops for bargains.
 
Sec A's can do the M&M class where tweed is needed. They can also be plaited up and do Show Hunter Pony lead rein - again tweed.

You don't need to match completely so long as you are neat, smart, wearing a hat - not a riding hat - then you will be ok.
 
As long as the qualifiers are not HOYS or RIHS you'll be fine. PUK and BSPS Champs are not a big draw for the pros. M&M lead rein classes are always way bigger than the RP lead reins. We have a sec A and a RP and my little one much prefers the RP classes as not only does that pony get to wear the 'blingy' browbands the line ups are quite literally usually a fifth of the size!! ;)
 
It's not one of my 'local' county shows but there's nothing in the pics making me scream 'don't do it', class doesn't look enormous either.
Just remember that at County level it is ALL about the pony. While the right outfit would help the overall picture, which inevitably has some bearing on the judging it is not a tack and turnout class.
One of the ponies my mum bred went to HOYS last year, and was placed there, despite the leader not being in a bespoke LR outfit. Whilst it undoubtedly helps the picture it is not the be all and end all.
If I were you I would go to a BSPS show or 2 and watch the M&M LRs just to get an idea of how the class will run, good luck!
 
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